Wendy wanted this shorter extension cord we came across at a yard sale in Lambeth on the weekend. Sometimes you just need a shorter cord and don't want to lug out the 'big cord'. The female end of the cord had a replacement connector so I was suspect that it might not have been done right. We all need to be careful to check out used items we buy before we use them. You don't know who has been playing around with them. With electrical stuff, 'that great buy' could kill you.
Glad I looked inside the receptacle! This was a simple home job gone very dangerously wrong. You'll immediately see the ragged looking conductors loosely secured under the screws with split insulation and lots of exposed copper. Not to mention it's a 3-prong female and a 2-prong male with no ground.
Above: But that isn't the most dangerous. The
KILLER is the wires are reversed. Notice that the white, neutral wire is connected to the brass coloured screw and the black wire is connected to the silver coloured screw.
This could be a deadly mistake! Especially since there is no ground wire.
Above: I re-did the connection the correct way and averted a very bad situation. You see, if the live black wire is connected to the silver (common) terminal, electricity at 120 volts can be energizing the case of the appliance plugged into it. This could be deadly! Of course, the screws could have been reversed so make sure you check visually and with a voltmeter to confirm the configuration. A 2-prong cord is legal, but it MUST be done right or it could be lethal.
Above: Wendy noticed some serving tables that Donna mentioned she wanted so we added them to our yard sale purchases and will give them to her next time we meet up.
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